memory_alphafandomcom-20200223-history
Demotion
A demotion was when an individual within a military or other hierarchical structure was given a reduction of rank by a commanding officer. A demotion was by definition the opposite of a promotion. Punitive cases In most cases, a demotion was a form of punishment for a failure to follow orders or other forms of gross negligence, short of a court martial. After his less-than-impressive dealings with the Nausicaans in 2151, First Officer Matthew Ryan of the Earth Cargo Service freighter was demoted to able crewman in order to have to earn back Keene's trust. ( ) The same year, Commander threatened Lieutenant Malcolm Reed that he was going to "bust your ass back to crewman second class for insubordination," though Reed countered, "Be my guest. I could use a little less responsibility." ( ) Two years later, Captain Jonathan Archer gave Reed the same warning, heeding that, "If I were the kind of captain you think I should be, I'd bust your ass back to crewman," following Reed's critique of Archer's command style. ( ) In 2259 of the alternate reality, was demoted from captain to the rank of commander after he had violated the Prime Directive on the planet Nibiru. Later, Kirk was assigned as first officer of the under Captain . ( ) In 2266, Decius was demoted two steps in rank by his commanding officer for sending an unauthorized transmission to the praetor on Romulus. ( ) In 2269, Janice Lester (posing as James T. Kirk) and Leonard McCoy discussed the service record of Arthur Coleman, who had lost his post as chief medical officer. Lester told McCoy that promotions and demotions were subject to political maneuvering, but McCoy stated this wasn't the case either at Starfleet Headquarters or the Surgeon General's office. ( ) In 2286, Rear Admiral Kirk was demoted to captain by the Federation Council for disobeying a direct order from the Commander, Starfleet, Morrow. ( ; ) Following an incident on Garon II in the 2360s, Ro Laren was demoted to ensign. Several years later, in 2368, Captain Jean-Luc Picard thought she would have made lieutenant commander by that time, if not for her actions. ( ) In 2372, Dukat was demoted from chief military advisor of the Detapa Council to a position commanding the Cardassian military freighter Groumall. Dukat later thought about demoting his rival Gul Marratt and assigning him to the Cardassian embassy on , when it seemed Dukat could return to power. ( ) In 2374, when Damar was manning the security office on Deep Space 9 instead of Odo, Major Kira Nerys sarcastically asked him if Dukat had demoted him to security detail. ( ) The same year, Seven of Nine reassigned Harry Kim to chamber maintenance and gave him the new designation Two of Ten, essentially demoting him. When Kim protested, Seven claimed this was a useful Starfleet protocol she had adapted. ( ) In 2375, Tom Paris was demoted from lieutenant junior grade to ensign for disobeying orders by Captain Kathryn Janeway. ( ) The following year, mistakenly informed his superiors that The Doctor was in command of the . Fearing demotion, he asked the Voyager to maintain that illusion to a number of Hierarchy vessels. ( ) In an alternate timeline 2404, Captain Harry Kim worried that Starfleet Command would demote him back to ensign once they learned about him and Kathryn Janeway attempting to alter the timeline. ( ) Non-punitive cases In other cases, a reduction in rank or responsibility may be given to an officer as a non-punitive formality, or political move. In the early 2270s, Rear Admiral James T. Kirk replaced Captain Willard Decker as the commanding officer of the . This resulted in Kirk receiving a temporary grade reduction from rear admiral to captain. Kirk in turn gave Decker a temporary grade reduction to commander and had him stay on as the ship's executive officer. ( ) Commander William T. Riker was granted a field commission to captain of the following the capture of Captain Jean-Luc Picard by the Borg in 2366. After the return of Picard to the Enterprise, Riker resumed his role as first officer and returned to his previous rank of commander. ( ) Late in the Dominion War in 2375, General Martok was honored by Chancellor Gowron with the Star of Kahless, who described the general as "the most famous warrior in the Empire." Following the ceremony, Gowron took over Martok's command with the preface that "I can't ask you to carry this weight forever. It's time for me to take a more active role in this war," before announcing that "I'm assuming direct command of our forces." Gowron sugar-coated the demotion by telling Martok to "Be happy. You're a warrior again. No more meetings, no more reports to file. You'll be out there, savoring the heat of battle. I envy you." In reality, according to Worf, this was a political move made by the chancellor because he wished to be the savior of the Empire himself. ( ) See also *Discommendation *Formal reprimand *Promotion *Stripped of rank External links * * * Category:Punishments Category:Ceremonies